Count Sebastian
by Flame Within Ice
Summary: When Vincent Phantomhive heads to France to investigate a series of murders, he will end up at the mercy of the mysterious Count Sebastian D'Lisont. Loosely based on Dracula, not slash, will eventually catch up with anime.
1. A Letter

**Welcome to the story! Hope you like it. I'll be writing it through diary entries and newspaper clippings, as in Dracula, but obviously it will be following a slightly different storyline. More than slightly. It is "loosely based". Kuro parts take place in anime-verse. And yes, I kept Sebastian's first name the same for recognition's sake. And I apologize for just short of writing with Bram Stoker's style. This story just came out that way. **

**I own neither Black Butler nor Dracula. If I did, my stories would feature electricity as a magnificent invention instead of an automatic privilege. **

_Letter from Queen Victoria to Vincent Phantomhive, November 30, 1880_

Dear Vincent,

I regret to call you away on business just two weeks before your young son's birthday, but it has come to my knowledge that the murders of late are possibly connected to a man from France. I will need you to visit his castle in the mountains near the border with Switzerland. I'm afraid my butler could not uncover any sort of information except his name and address. His full title is Count Sebastian Michael D'Lisont, if that is of any meaning to you. The villagers who live down the mountain from him, on both sides of the border, say that he is…eccentric, and very mysterious. I would like you to pay him a visit on the grounds of establishing a Funtom store branch in France within his jurisdiction. Please be careful while finding out as much as you possibly can about him.

Victoria, Queen of England

**Thanks for reading this first very short prologue! I have more chapters on the way soon. Please review, they even put in a quicker way of posting one just for you guys!**


	2. Castle of the Count

**And forward the Light Brigade! It is time to truly launch the story.**

_Diary of Vincent Phantomhive_

**December 4, 1880**

Just crossed the English Channel into France yesterday. I have now boarded a train that will take me up into the mountains. It is my first time on such a thing. Normally Rachel and I have traveled by horse and carriage, and we haven't had to cut across such wide expanses of country. I must say I am surprised that Victoria is sending me all the way out here. France is not England, after all, so something about the recent murders having been committed by this Count must have prompted her to work with the French government to bring this man in.

On the second of December, when I left, the Queen's butler Ash came to me with further instructions. I am not to arrest Count Sebastian, and not to raise his suspicions. I have been ordered to find out what kind of business he conducts, his background and history, and why he was in England during the time of the murders (without asking bluntly, obviously).

So as the French countryside flashes past out of my window, I have made myself comfortable with a cup of tea and my journal. I do wish I could bring my butler Tanaka along, but he was feeling a little ill before I left, and I am now alone.

**December 5, 1880**

Arrived in the Count's town, Lisont, early this morning. It is small, but lively and friendly. The citizens were obliged to share what little they knew of their overseer, and I have made a good start in my collection of information.

According to the elders of the town, Count Sebastian has been here for a little over fifty years. "Fifty!" I exclaimed.

"Oh, yes. A right handsome young man he was when he first came, back in the late twenties," one old woman told me. "He's aged a good deal since then, but still manages to stay as good-looking as ever."

So the Count seems to be somewhere in his 70s, a great achievement, even for someone of this day. I have also heard that he is charming and silver-tongued, so I must watch myself and make sure I do not fall into any traps he lays.

A few of the citizens, the ones from the church mainly, crossed themselves before speaking of him and told me that they didn't like him because he was "scornful of the Church, and held no respect for the religion of his townsfolk." I certainly agreed with them myself, as I made sure to take Rachel and Ciel into London to Westminster Abbey on a regular basis, as often as I could between jobs. But I would keep my thoughts to myself when in the Count's presence, as I also heard he had something of a quiet temper. The citizens were quite terrified of making him mad, and wouldn't say anything beyond, "scary." I see now why Victoria and the French government have their eye on him. There were also plenty of children, so I made sure to spread word that I was looking to open a Funtom store here. It did my heart good to see their smiles, which continue to remind me of Ciel. He will be turning four soon, and I am quite sorry that I cannot be there.

Mid-afternoon came, and I boarded a carriage to take me up to the Count's castle. You couldn't see it from the village, since it was behind the mountain's peak. As the driver—a servant from Sebastian's castle—brought me high into the colder air, I was struck by the beauty of the surrounding countryside. Count Sebastian had managed to find a spot for his castle with a view unmarred by the sight of human construction. Lisont was covered by the overhanging cliffs of the mountain, and so one could imagine he was the only being in the world. Beyond the rock, rolling meadows and old forests stretched to the horizon, and birds floated on the wind. The creaking of my carriage seemed rather out of place amid the other sounds of nature.

"Lord Phantomhive," the servant brought my attention back to the situation at hand. "We are nearly there, sir."

The carriage rounded a bend in the road, and I was struck at the sight of the castle. I had been expecting something deep and dark and imposing, but this was majestic and archaic in a way I had never seen. I realized Sebastian had probably had the blocks carved from the mountain itself, for they were the same color. The structure was different than traditional European castles, sending hails to other parts of the world. Its walls were made of rounded pillars stuck together, and the entrance was similar to one of those Japanese gates, only the sides, top, and bottom were rounded to fit a circular door separated into three sections by lines that curved to meet each other in the center. The carriage approached, and I was startled to discover that the door broke apart along the lines, which spiraled out to widen the gap, disappearing quickly into their frame with hardly a sound.

"What is that gate operated by?" I asked the driver.

"Dunno. Never asked," he replied. "You don't ask the Count how something is done, it just is."

That response really didn't make any sense to me, but I got the feeling that Sebastian was capable of more than just a very interesting door.

We passed beneath the gate, and the inner sanctum of the castle was like a version of an Aztec temple. On the outer wall, there had been gargoyles of phoenixes, their wings of flame fanned out over their heads and necks thrown back to take in the sun, while here the door of the building was flanked by stylized Aztec versions of the winged lion statues in Venice. I thought this strange for someone who was supposedly non-religious. There were also multiple depictions of the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl carved into the sides. It was such a strange mixture of cultures and beliefs, but they all somehow blended together quietly and seamlessly.

The driver led the carriage around so that the side was facing the entrance steps of the castle. He got out and opened the door for me to step down, and I did so. "Right this way, Lord Phantomhive," he bowed and led me up a few steps to the door guarded by the lions. This one opened like a normal door, by pushing in. The driver bowed once more and left to take away the carriage.

I stepped through the doorway, and emerged into an entrance hall of modest size and more traditional English furnishings, with the impressive carvings and paintings of Aztec times still covering the walls. It was so curious that I simply stood there for several minutes, observing the depictions of different Aztec gods and myths. There was a large black puma, mouth open in defiant roar, a hummingbird holding a snake staff, and a human in the process of transforming into a jaguar.

The floor was smooth yellow sandstone, as were the walls, and various tables and chairs dotted the hall. Directly before me was a steep staircase, with twin serpents wrapped around the banisters. At the top was a tall, thin man dressed completely in black, carrying a short cane topped by an eagle with wings folded and head bowed—Count Sebastian Michael D'Lisont. His hair was mostly black, something that surprised me for someone his age. Two wide streaks of grey were swept back from his temples with the rest of his hair, giving him a dignified expression. I felt vaguely guilty for my long fringe. The Count's face was worn and speckled with a few pock marks, and his nose was slightly crooked, but his eyes were a sharp, deep reddish-brown.

"Good evening, Lord Phantomhive," Count Sebastian said softly, in an extremely good English accent, and came swiftly down the stairs.

"It's nice to meet you, Count D'Lisont," I bowed slightly, and he returned the favor.

"Please call me Sebastian," he flashed me a fleeting smile. "I'm not really one for being addressed with a title while among guests."

"In that case you may call me Vincent," I smiled back. Politeness was the first step to cutting through whatever barrier of mystery he had.

"Would you like dinner? I do not take meals in the dining room myself, but I might join you for talking if you wish," he offered.

"That would be wonderful," I answered, and was under the impression, as Sebastian led me to his dining hall, that I wasn't the only one playing the politeness card.

Dinner was fine, but simple, and Sebastian merely sat across the table and watched me, occasionally initiating some form of conversation. I was then led to my room and here I have stayed, writing quite the long entry of my arrival in this interesting place.

**Thanks for reading! I did a little bit of research for this chapter, so here are the references, in order:**

**-The gate in the outer wall of the castle is a _torii_ gate from Japan. These are commonly placed before Shinto shrines to mark the boundary from the profane to the sacred. Sebastian is using this as a personal inside joke, as are some of the other curiosities of the castle.**

**-Phoenix gargoyles: a symbol of immortality.**

**-Winged lions of Venice: a symbol of St. Mark the Evangelist, the patron saint of Venice. Lions can also be a symbol of pride, and Pride is one of the Seven Deadly Sins.**

**-Aztec temple structure: Human sacrifice was a religious practice of the ancient Aztecs and many other Mesoamerican cultures.**

**-Quetzalcoatl: depicted as a feathered serpent, the patron god of the Aztec priesthood, of learning and knowledge.**

**-** **Acolnahuacatl: a god of the underworld, shown as a black puma with a supernatural roar that kept the living from passing through to the kingdom of the dead.**

**-** **Huitzilopochtli: god of war, the sun, human sacrifice, and patron god of Tenochtitlan. Represented as a hummingbird carrying a staff shaped like a snake and mirror.**

**-** **Nahual: a human who can shape-shift into some kind of animal and uses his powers for good or evil depending on his personality. **

**And that's that for the chapter! All research came from Wikipedia or other wonderful internet places. Please review!**


	3. To Survive

**Welcome back to the story! Thanks for hanging in there.**

_Newspaper Clipping, November 1, 1880_

Late last night James Harrington, a London man, was murdered in an alley by a cause unknown. Puncture marks and lacerations were found on his neck, as if he had been attacked by a large cat of some sort and struggled in an attempt to get away. Doctors determined that he died of blood loss and the police of Scotland Yard are now working with zoos and exotic pet owners to search for who—or what—is responsible.

This is the latest in a string of similar murders that have been occurring at a seemingly regular time every two to three weeks. At first the killer was thought to have been a new kind of serial murderer, by biting his victims in the jugular repeatedly until they died, but an examination of the bite area has shown that the shape of the teeth are not human. Police suspect that a large cat, possibly a lion or panther, escaped from a zoo or from its owner and is now going around attempting to hunt humans. The only problem with this theory is that the victims of the murders have not been chewed at by the animal. In fact the only mark on them is the bite on their neck. This has several people wondering if a person is behind this with a trained animal to attack and kill. Sir Randall at Scotland Yard says that this is a far-fetched idea, but not totally improbable.

If you have any information or advice you would like to share, please contact Scotland Yard at once to help them bring in this dangerous animal or person, or both.

_Diary of Vincent Phantomhive_

**December 6, 1880**

I've put that bit of newspaper into my journal for continued reference. What little details it can give me I may be able to match up with my experiences with the Count. So far I have not seen any sign of an exotic big cat other than the stylized pictograms on the walls. The one thing I hope is that nothing supernatural comes of this. I am not a fool—I know what is out there. Vampires are a possibility, as are werewolves. There are also tales of the Grim Reaper in human form. The Japanese call them _shinigami_. I have not met one personally, and I hope never to.

This morning started out with a small tour of Sebastian's castle. He has an extensive library full with rare, ancient books, which I found intriguing despite myself. For nearly three hours I was absorbed in the old tomes, constantly asking the Count fascinated questions, of where he had acquired such books and when.

"Several of my…business partners had them in their collections, and they often gave me one when we parted ways," Sebastian shrugged dismissively, but I noted the catch in his words. It refocused my mind on the true task at hand. Shortly afterwards, we continued our tour through the castle. Sebastian paused occasionally while walking, tilting his head to the side as though listening for something. When I asked him what he was doing, he mentioned that it was his way of thinking. Still, I was unsettled. It was a very predatory motion, as if he was listening for prey.

I shook my head to clear it of these thoughts. I really can't dwell on things like that for too long, or I shall scare myself silly. Here I am making a list of the things I have noticed about him:

_—pauses before saying "business partners". Code for people he has killed? Try not to read too much into it, but be wary._

_—habit of "listening" while thinking. What could he be listening for? Investigate castle if I get alone time._

_—villagers say he is "silver-tongued". Could try to trick me somehow. Be on alert._

It took me some time to notice, but when I was done writing this I realized that I had started a list of survival instincts.

**Yes second chapter complete! Short compared to the first one, but I'm not good at writing super-long, in-depth chapters, so get used to short or medium-length pages. I've never been able to do that 20-page feat.**

**Please review, as usual!**


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